At the top of my list right now is the crucial goal of renovating my house. The current state of the house has me deeply worried, as it’s not a permanent structure. The walls have weakened over time, and there are holes everywhere, making me fear that they could collapse and endanger my children. Completing this renovation will bring me immense relief and happiness, as it will alleviate the constant anxiety I feel about the safety of my family. With the transfers I am receiving, I am confident that I will be able to make significant progress on this project soon, transforming the house into a secure and stable home where I won’t have to worry anymore.

My house has been in poor condition due to its old age, and as a mother, I’ve been increasingly worried that it might collapse and endanger my children. The business I started selling sugar from home has been our sole source of income, but it has not been profitable, and my husband lacks a permanent job. Renovating the house has been a significant challenge, but the support from GiveDirectly has made a notable difference. I have already used around $68 to begin the renovation process, though I ran out of funds midway. However, I am optimistic that, with continued support, I will be able to complete the renovation. Once the work is finished, I anticipate that it will put an end to my sleepless nights and restore my happiness as a mother. Additionally, I managed to save $30 through the Merry Go Round initiative, which I plan to use to continue the house renovations. With the remaining $4, I bought cereals and vegetables for my family, which are currently scarce in our region due to a drought. These supplies have been essential in helping us cope during these challenging times. I am grateful for the support that has made it easier for us to manage and sustain our needs.

I plan to continue saving with the savings group, aiming to accumulate enough funds by the end of the year to purchase a bull. This investment will not only aid me in plowing my farm but also potentially generate income by providing plowing services to others. I am immensely pleased with the progress I have achieved with the financial assistance from Give Directly. My quality of life has significantly improved since receiving the transfers.

Before being enrolled in the Give Directly cash program, I relied heavily on casual jobs such as uprooting tree stumps, burning them, and making charcoal. However, the earnings from these ventures were minimal, making life quite challenging. Since joining the program, my life has undergone a significant transformation. I now own six goats and eight sheep, all acquired with the help of the transfers. With my recent transfers, I allocated $24 to food purchases, ensuring that my family of five never goes hungry. Additionally, I saved $20 in a local savings group formed with close relatives and friends. I intend to use this money to purchase bulls, which will not only help me plow my land but also potentially earn additional income by offering plowing services to others. Given the heavy rains we are currently experiencing, I invested $24 to plow my 1.5-acre land in preparation for planting. Moreover, I fully paid $24 to purchase a mattress that I had been acquiring in installments. Lastly, I spent $10 to purchase two hens, considering them as a future investment since they will multiply, allowing me to sell them and address my needs. I am extremely grateful for the financial support I have received, as it has profoundly changed my life for the better.

In the coming year, my primary objective is to undertake the renovation of my house. The structural foundation work was completed several years ago, and the continuous impact of rains has significantly compromised its stability. Strengthening the foundation is essential to ensure greater stability, allowing the house to endure for many more years to come. To facilitate this reconstruction, I plan to persistently save my transfers. I am content with the progress I have made this far and eagerly anticipate achieving further gains in the upcoming year.

My husband and I lacked formal employment, leading to significant struggles in providing for our family of six. There were times when putting food on the table was a challenge, and we even experienced instances of going to bed hungry. To make ends meet, I resorted to selling charcoal and extracting tree stumps, while my husband focused on livestock rearing. The arrival of GiveDirectly has brought about substantial positive changes in our lives. The consistent monthly transfers provide us with a sense of assurance and the ability to plan effectively. Currently, we own seven goats and sheep, well taken care of by my husband, and we anticipate selling them in the future to generate a substantial profit. From the transfers, I allocated $45 to purchase a mattress, having already acquired a bed, which is a significant improvement from our previous situation of sleeping on the floor due to a lack of furnishings. Additionally, $24 was used for food, and $10 went towards acquiring chickens which we shall keep. The remaining funds were wisely saved within my savings group to be used for renovations later on. I am genuinely delighted with the transformative and positive impact GiveDirectly has had on my life.

In the upcoming year, I aspire to achieve several significant goals through the assistance of the funds provided by the transfers. Foremost, I aim to secure a bed and mattress, a simple luxury that promises the comfort I've been longing for. Furthermore, I'm enthusiastic about expanding my livestock holdings. Presently, I own three goats and four sheep, all acquired with the funds from my monthly transfers. The organization's financial support has brought me immense happiness and I'm deeply appreciative of it.

Utilizing $24 from my July transfers, I secured essential sustenance for my family. As the sole provider, I shoulder this responsibility, as my husband's involvement in livestock rearing yields no income. Despite my charcoal and vegetable sales offering a source of income, it merely covers the family's fundamental daily requirements. I'm relieved that the acquired provisions staved off hunger after two days of going without food due to financial constraints. The remaining $10 was wisely saved within a savings group account we formed with the intention of eventually purchasing a bed and mattress. For two decades, I've endured nights on an uncomfortable sisal twine bed. This purchase holds the promise of alleviating the back pain I've endured for such an extended period. Gratitude fills me for the invaluable financial support, which has substantially lightened the burden I carry in caring for my family.

Before the year ends, I wish to have bought a wooded bed and a mattress. The sisal-twined bed I have been using is very uncomfortable to sleep on, as I wake up every morning feeling tired. After buying the bed, I plan to start saving part of my cash transfers to renovate my house. Particularly, I want to construct a concrete pillar around the house to reinforce the mud walls and prevent them from collapsing. I will be happy if the cash transfers fund this project because my business of making charcoal does not generate reliable funds for the task. 

I have always wanted to buy goats and chickens but financial constraints have been a major barrier to achieving that. I believe that owning goats will help generate more funds in the future when the animals reproduce. However, as much as I yearn to accomplish my livestock-rearing goal, I could never prioritize it over providing food for my family. When I received the recent transfer, my household had just run out of maize flour and I had been stressed over how I could raise money to replenish more. At that time, my business of making charcoal had not bore fruit, so I spent $16 from the cash transfer on food. I am relieved because my house has never lacked food since that day. As the remaining funds could not afford a goat, I used $8 to buy two chickens. I saved the remaining $10. I aim to accumulate enough savings to buy a decent wooden bed and a mattress. I would be happy to be freed from the discomfort of sleeping on a sisal-twined bed. 

Towards the end of the year, I plan to have expanded my herd of goats to ten. Thanks to the cash transfers, I already have three goats that I acquired in the previous months. Owning more goats will certainly increase my wealth, which I could trade in the future to raise money for my family’s basic needs like food. More so, rearing livestock would grant me a breather from the physical strains of making charcoal as a means of earning money.

I made the decision to spend my December transfers on purchasing livestock in the interest of progress and leading a better life free from poverty. Livestock gain value over time and become more profitable once they proliferate because the initial investment is doubled. Being the only provider for my family, I have struggled to make a living through farming. It has proven challenging to harvest any crops from the farm due to the harsh climatic conditions. Due to his advanced age, my husband can only afford to care for the small amount of livestock in the field for grazing and transport them to water sources. In a few months, I'm hoping the goat will proliferate, doubling my investment. I can sell the goat in case of an emergency and use the proceeds to care of it.

Initially when I go to enrolled into the program, my plan was to ensure that I will build myself so that I could be able to support my family financially and I planned on investing on farm animals. Therefore when I received the funds I decided to use KES 2000 and purchased a goat because cows were more expensive and the money I had was not sufficient. I did not use the entire funds because I was also lacking in the department of nourishment, so I ended up using the remaining balance which was KES 1,000 and purchased five packets of maize flour.

GiveDirectly, in my opinion, does a great work of raising the living standards of the poorest members of society. It accomplishes this by providing direct cash transfers to those who have successfully been enrolled in its program. We have been able to easily obtain food and support our children's education as a result of the transfer. Furthermore, it conducts frequent follow-ups to understand the project's impact. In contrast, there is nothing GiveDirectly does not do well since we are satisfied with its ways of operation, and none of us has raised any concerns thus far.

In addition to making charcoal for livelihood, I also rear livestock. At the moment, I have 5 goats that despite the dry spell that we have been experiencing, have so far survived. Immediately after I received my transfer, I considered buying an additional goat. I long to have a flock that will help me in the future to raise school fees for my 3 children when they join secondary schools. Due to reduction in forest cover, the charcoal making and selling is no longer a viable venture and this calls for the need for me to consider other livelihood options.

I was at the hospital with my daughter who was in labor pains when a message streamed on my phone. I do not know how to read therefore, I handed over the phone to her so that she could check on the message. When I saw her smiling amidst the pain I knew I had some good news. that was when she told me that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I finally got relieved because I was worried about how I would raise money for food, especially for my daughter who was about to give birth.

At the time when I received the first transfer I was financially down with no food stocked in the house despite the fact that my daughter was about to give birth, and she would need special care after her delivery. I had let God take control. True to my prayers, I received the transfer while she was in the labor ward. The money came in handy especially in stocking food for the family. I am glad the food I stocked was able to push us for a while as I looked for means of raising money for other needs of the family.

Chicken rearing is the easiest and fastest investment. As much as I do not have it on a large scale but at least I have been keeping some. They reproduce faster hence the increment in their numbers and the eggs too are the cheapest source of proteins. When I received the first transfer, I bought a chicken at KES 300 to add to the few I had. The remaining KES 850 I spent on corn and some of the foodstuffs for my family. We had no food at that moment and being the breadwinner in the family, I felt relieved of the burden. I burn charcoal for sale which is done by nearly everyone in our area. The few people who can afford them purchase them at very low prices.